Whiteface and Passaconaway. December 22, 2018

Don't forget to make your end-of-the-year donations to Union of Concerned Scientists!

Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail.
11.9-mile loop with 3800 feet of elevation gain.

(My phone was not working this morning, so all photos were taken by Mom).

It was Mom's birthday today!  She wanted to hike and we needed Whiteface and Passaconaway for the Grid, so we set out on a very rainy morning up Blueberry Ledge Trail.  We had a change of clothes with us, so we let ourselves get wet and then just changed on the trail close to Whiteface's summit.

I am about to travel for Christmas vacation, so I will just post photos today.  Even when we don't publish long posts, we still at least want to post photos so we have a record of our hikes.  Alex and I will both get back to posting longer trip reports after the holidays.

One note, though.  Rollins Trail was soft and we sunk to our knees often even though we were wearing snowshoes.  It was a difficult trail today with the soft snow!  Also, none of us got a clear photo of Passaconaway's summit.  :(

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!  Don't forget to look at Alex's blog for other trip reports (we take turns posting).

Mt. Washington. December 1, 2018

Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path (partly - someone had broken a more direct trail through the snow, so we followed that), 9.0 miles, 3,800 feet

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Mom, Alex, and I started just after dawn on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail.  We all wore snowshoes, as the trail was not fully packed out.  Making our way up the trail, we quickly made it to treeline and then to the hut.  The summit cone looked daunting, but we persevered to the summit.

Photo by Trish Herr

Taking a break by (closed) Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Photo by Trish Herr

The rime ice and views were spectacular!

Photo by Trish Herr

Photo by Trish Herr

The sun was shining and it was surprisingly warm outside.

Photo by Trish Herr

Mom being silly -- photo by Trish Herr

After having a snack, we headed down.  There were a significant number of people coming up, some of them with dogs, so Mom, Alex, and I weren't lonely as we made our way down Mount Washington.

There was a beautiful undercast...

Looking back...

We got back to the hut as the sun blared into our eyes.

Mom, Alex, and I made our way down, continuing to meet other people coming up.  Eventually, we arrived at our car.  The hike had been a short, beautiful, and enjoyable adventure.